P56 Intention to Consume Fruits andVegetables Does Not Directly Translate toBehavior in a Low Income SampleDenise E. Wall, MPH, RD, dew177@psu.edu;Judy Gromis, MS, RD, jcg11@psu.edu;Barbara Lohse, PhD, RD, Pennsylvania NutritionEducation Tracks, Department of Nutritional Sciences,The Pennsylvania State University; 135 East NittanyAvenue, Suite 405 State College, PA 16801,bal18@psu.edu

Objective: To examine the correlation between reportedintentions for fruit and vegetable intake and actual dietaryintake of these food groups.Design, Setting and Participants: Survey administrationoccurred immediately following an Expanded Food andNutrition Education Program (EFNEP) or Food Stamp Nu-trition Education (FSNE) intervention. Following a 2-3week period for behavior adoption, three telephone recallscollected dietary intake data. Participants were 18-50 yearsof age from households in which food purchase and selec-tion decisions were made by household members. Thisstudy was funded by FSNE, USDA and approved by theuniversity Office of Research Protections.Intervention: Educational intervention was structured ac-cording to an agency’s standard field conditions. Threeagency-specific formats were implemented: 1-group educa-tion with optional activity/food tasting (Eating Right IsBasic); 2-group education with cooking demonstration andfood tasting (Simply Good Eating); 3-individual education(MyPyramid.)Outcome Measures and Analysis: Participant characteris-tics, fruit and vegetable intake intentions, and actual di-etary behaviors were assessed for participants with threecompleted diet recalls. Data were analyzed using descriptivestatistics, Chi Square, and t-tests.Results: No more than two-thirds of participants met anyfruit or vegetable intake intention; with the exception ofvegetable variety, intentions were met by fewer than half ofthe participants. Significant relationships among partici-pant characteristics and fulfillment of dietary intentionswere not specific to any intake behavior.Conclusions and Implications: Intention is extensivelyused, as a proxy for behavior, to evaluate program impact.Given the recent focus on accountability of publicly fundednutrition education, the finding that generally-defined in-tentions may not consistently translate to behavior may becritical to sound evaluation.

P57 Nutrition Lifestyle, Attitudes and ValuesTowards SustainabilityDiane Barrett, Hackensack University Medical Center,620 Lewandowski Street, Lyndhurst, NJ 07071,diane@dianebarrett.com

Objective: To assess nutrition lifestyle and evaluate currentknowledge of agriculture and the environment, in order toascertain motivating areas of personal importance that sup-port ecologically sustainable food systems.Design, Setting and Participants: A cross-sectional self-administered questionnaire. Setting: Hackensack Univer-sity Medical Center, Hackensack, New Jersey. Subjects:Staff members (n � 41) over the age of 18 who were ableto read English.Outcome Measures and Analysis: Variables Measured:Purchasing habits along with personal values and beliefstowards organically labeled foods, organic agriculture, cli-mate change and the environment. Analysis: Themes weresummarized and then categorized into 4 domains; Organicpurchases, organic agriculture, sustainability and climatechange. Comparisons were made between beliefs and prac-tices.Results: Three main themes emerged. A statistical rela-tionship exists between diet and the importance of eatingwell to avoid health problems later in life, contradictionsbetween beliefs and habits and insensible empowerment.Conclusion and Implications: The results aid in under-standing the larger publics readiness to learn and makechanges and indicate that this group is ready to respond tointerventions. Further study is needed to verify these find-ings in a larger, more diverse population.

P58 Facilitated Group Discussion IncreasesSelf-Efficacy in Paraprofessionals Working asNutrition EducatorsCynthia Hostetter, BS, 1521 Morro Street, San LuisObispo, CA 93401, hostette@calpoly.edu;Lisa Nicholson, PhD, RD, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, CA93407-0258, lmnichol@calpoly.edu

Objective: The objective was to improve the self-efficacy ofparaprofessionals so as to increase their effectiveness asnutrition educators.Design, Setting and Participants: With an increased inter-est in nutrition, more paraprofessionals without nutritiontraining are being called upon to provide basic nutritioneducation to diverse audiences. Due to a lack of knowledgeand training in nutrition, these paraprofessionals may ex-hibit low self-efficacy in their effectiveness as nutritioneducators. According to social cognitive theory, training tobuild self-efficacy, skills and outcome expectancies wouldincrease paraprofessionals’ effectiveness. Thus, it is criticalthat their training focus on increasing their self-efficacy asan educator as well as on improving their nutrition knowl-edge. Facilitated group discussion, an interactive form oftraining where participants resource their knowledge andexperience, has been shown as an effective tool to buildmotivation and self-efficacy in its participants. A three-hour training for paraprofessionals, using facilitated group

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Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior ● Volume 40, Number 4, July/August 2008 Supplement S67